Minister urges journalists to improve their English

Secretary of¬†State for Media Nelio Isaac Sarmento is encouraging all the country‚Äôs journalists to learn English and Portuguese so that they can improve their employment prospects once the country becomes a member of ASEAN.

‚ÄúFrom now on, all of you must attend English and Portuguese classes to improve your professionalism,‚ÄĚ he told journalists during a ‚ÄúMeet the Press‚ÄĚ session in Dili yesterday.

Sarmento, a former television journalist, said his ministry would help provide the language classes and offer training courses and scholarships.

Timor Leste has been seeking ASEAN membership since 2007. Its formal application was submitted last year.